Taking her scribbles seriously

A new free-spirited Indian fashion label sees hand-drawn motifs that comprise hand-drawn artworks for prints, swimming on sarees and dupattas

Bhairavi Jhaveri smdmail@mid-day.com As Yuti Shah, 25, unfurls an assortment of cotton mal sarees, dupattas and silk stoles at her residence in Andheri, you can tell that it's not just a riot of contrasting colours that make her pieces striking. The Matsya, or the half-fish incarnation of Vishnu, Gautam Buddha, Durga, Shiv-Parvati, Radha-Krishna and trishul motifs emerge as strong characters in this new home-grown production Shah and husband Atul Edward have called Udd Fabric Design (in Hindi, udd means to take flight). What differentiates Udd's motif from the run-of-the-mill kitsch print of mythological figures that inspire throngs of ravers in Goa, is its originality in detail: all are painstakingly sketched by Shah.

Newly-wed couple and team behind Udd, Yuti Shah Edward and Atul
Edward with their debut range of sarees, dupattas and silk stoles at
Shah's Andheri home. They exhibited the label for the first time at the
Kitsch Bazaar held this June at Zenzi, Bandra. Pics/ Nimesh Dave

People in Mumbai don't have space in their homes to display art. But a saree or a dupatta, anyone can buy. Women came up to me during the art show and said they would love to wear my art

The graphic designer-turned-artist draws each motif (ink on paper mixed with collage work) by hand, before scanning or photographing it, transferring it onto a design software to create the layout for a saree or dupatta, before being sent off for printing. Once back from the printers, Edward oversees the final production sequence and sources what she needs for borders and packaging. "And of course, he also handles the finances, because I am terrible with numbers!" laughs Shah. It's the third stage of 'evolution' for Shah's skill that started out with doodles she'd make in a notebook during weekend getaways to rural parts of India. Her skill then moved on to an art show at a Mumbai gallery a year ago, and it now finds itself seated on soft-as-fondue fabrics adorned with unique borders and tassels. "People in Mumbai don't have space in their homes to display art.

But a saree or a dupatta, anyone can buy. Women came up to me during the art show and said they would love to wear my art," says Shah, about the birth of Udd. Edward encouraged Shah, who has no formal training in art, to take her scribbles seriously. She quit her full-time job at a design firm, freeing herself of a deadline-driven career. Shah's strokes are naturally inspired by the Madhubani art of Bihar and the Gond tribal art of Madhya Pradesh. "Tribal life, its culture, food, art, texture, music... everything excites us. We travel on most weekends to remote villages in Maharashtra in search of this culture. It was during these trips that I doodled what I saw or experienced," she says.

Not surprisingly, the debut Udd collection of 15 designs bears a certain rawness that's been smoothened by the use of contemporary colours, without giving it a mainstream pop-art feel that often lacks depth. The collection includes six to seven primary motifs, which are meshed into a variety of designs and colours used as full prints or as borders and pallus. The sarees are usually crafted in one solid colour, like blue or black, and the pallu and the pleats explode with loud, imaginative Udd colours and prints. The couple doesn't have a store in the city yet, but you can order online. Mumbai residents can drop an email request for an appointment at their Andheri residence and check out their art while "having a cup of chai with us". Own a piece of Udd See the collection on ww.uddfabricdesign. wordpress.com. Send an e-mail to uddfabricdesign@gmail.com to enquire about availability and price, do a bank transfer and then have it delivered to your doorstep within the same week.

Buy me
Cotton dupattas: Rs 2,250 onwards
Cotton sarees: Rs 6,250 onwards
Silk sarees: Rs 8,250

The label's Bead It, String It, Braid It trial range of fabric neckpieces is priced between Rs 200 to Rs 600. The current batch is sold out (sorry, guys!) and the next lot is expected to be ready in the next few months.

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